Engine Failure, Part 2, Towing Rhapsody

This is the continuing saga of our engine woes. If you missed part one and want to read that first, click here.

After the death of our engine, many people asked, "Aren’t you a sailboat? Can’t you just sail?" Well, yes, but it wasn’t that simple. We faced two major challenges—one at the beginning and one at the end of our journey.

Rhapsody is located at the blue dot. The typical entrances to this anchorage are left and right, just north of where Rhapsody was anchored. The route due south was more direct, and shorter in the long run, but involved more maneuvering around reefs.

First, we were anchored in a protected lagoon, perfect for hiding from high winds and choppy seas but not ideal for sailing out. Reefs lined every exit, creating narrow passages to the open ocean. For a sailboat to move, it needs room to tack or turn through the wind. With reefs so close, we would need a perfect wind direction, something we couldn’t count on. 

The second challenge was the wind shadow on the west side of Fiji’s main island, Viti Levu. 

This is a wind map. The darker orange colors are higher winds and the blue colors indicate little to no wind. Our planned route was from the white dot, due south to the big island.

The last 10-15 miles of the distance between us and the boatyard where the repairs would happen is in a wind shadow caused by the prevailing winds being blocked by the main island. So, in a journey that could, and should, take only one day so we are not left out overnight amid many shallow reefs, the best course of action was to hire a local boat. We needed a tow.

Semi, his wife (and I am blanking on her name) and their 2 year old son Levi.

Enter Semi, a local Fijian who visited our anchorage daily, offering to take garbage, sell fruit, or invite cruisers ashore for a traditional dinner. When we explained our situation to him, he offered to tow Rhapsody the 50 miles to Denarau Marina with his small panga, which had a 30 hp engine. While we were grateful, we didn’t feel that was enough power in case of strong winds or currents. We wanted more security, so we began looking for another option.

After talking to several locals we finally found Semi's cousin, Sai, who had access to his village’s panga equipped with a 70 hp engine. This gave us a little more confidence. He offered to tow us at a reasonable rate, and with the right weather window approaching, we made plans to leave once the new engine arrived in Fiji.

We ended up waiting in the quiet of Nanunya for three weeks—thankfully not too stressful, since we had a plan. Finally, the day came. The winds were favorable, the engine had been shipped from Australia, arrived in Fiji, was currently going through customs, and Sai was available for the tow. 

We set out at 4 AM, early enough to ensure we’d reach the marina in daylight and with personnel on hand to help us. Navigating in the dark through the anchorage and the reef-strewn pass was a little nerve-wracking, but with Semi and Sai’s local knowledge, we trusted their guidance. We would never have attempted it in the dark on our own, but they assured us we could take the southern route out of the anchorage, one we hadn’t tried before. 

Early in the morning, Sai all bundled up in protection from the wind and the spray, driving the panga alongside the sailing Rhapsody 

Once we cleared the reef and reached deeper water, the wind picked up enough for us to sail. We untied from the panga and enjoyed a beautiful, peaceful sail down the island chain, making good time with calm seas and steady winds. Sai stayed behind in the panga for a while, but soon he came aboard, and now Rhapsody became the tow-er, while pulling the panga along behind us.

Sai getting ready to come aboard. You can see all the fuel jugs aboard there. These were all refilled for his trip back home.

Semi and Sai relaxing in the cockpit while the panga is being towed. Rhapsody is on autopilot.

By 1 PM, the wind began to die down, and our speed dropped below 3 knots, too slow to get there before dark. It was time to reattach the panga for the last 10 miles of the trip. 

Beginning to reattach the towing lines

The final approach involved navigating through narrow reef passes and a long, shallow channel leading to the marina. As we approached, a marina boat came out to guide us to a mooring ball. We had also asked a friend to meet us with his dinghy, just in case anything went wrong. While the extra help was reassuring, the final approach went off without a hitch. We tied off safely and took a deep breath of relief. After three weeks at anchor, it was different to be back in a marina, Denarau was a far cry from the peaceful lagoon we had left. Cruise ships came and went, restaurants lined the waterfront, and loud music played late into the night—a stark contrast to the serenity of Nanunya.

As for Semi and Sai, they were happy to get to the mainland for some shopping, both for themselves and their villages. We took them out to dinner as a small token of our gratitude for their help. And while we were relieved to have made it to the marina, there was still a sense of apprehension—next up was meeting our new engine and getting it installed. But that’s a story for part three. Stay tuned!

To be continued…

(Note: I’ll add the details of the engine search and installation in the final part of this blog.)